Category: Art

Among the many artworks displayed in art galleries, museums, churches, and other houses of art, there will always be a few significant paintings that are known by almost everyone in the world. Here is a list of the 10 most famous paintings that transcend time and have a great impact in the field of art:

Guernica by Pablo Picasso

Picasso’s Guernicais one of history’s most well-known grayscale anti-war paintings. His work depicts the bombing of the Spanish town of Guernica during the Civil war in Spain. Guernica shows the sufferings of people and animals, and a disarray of buildings – all brought by the devastating war. The artwork is a navy blue, black, and white, oil on canvas painting found in the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid.

Water Lilies by Claude Monet

Monet had a pond dug in his garden at Giverny where he planted water lilies. Using this as his subject, he captured every image of the flowers and water that he could observe. After the Armistice day of 1918, Monet offered the Water Lilies to the French state as a symbol for peace. The finished oil on canvas painting was installed in the Orangerie Museum in 1927, a few months after his death.

The Night Watch by Rembrandt

Rembrandt’s work is an example of a painting exclusive to Northern Netherlands. The Night Watch was a title not given by Rembrandt for his painting, and was used at the end of the 18th century. The scene actually took place during the day, but due to the accumulation of dirt and varnish, the painting seemed to darken giving an impression of a night scene. The painting is a portrait of a company of civic guardsmen. They were defenders of their city and maintained order in the place. Each company had its own guild hall that was decorated with group portraits of notable members, promoting a sense of pride and civic duty. Rembrandt received commission to create a portrait for the guild hall that housed the Amsterdam civic guard company of musketeers (Kloveniersdoelen).

Girl with A Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer

This mysterious painting was a creation of Johannes Vermeer in 1665. The identity of the painting’s model – if there was even one – is unknown up until today. Vermeer is an enigmatic man himself, and produced only a few paintings. The Girl with A Pearl Earring, also referred to as the “Mona Lisa of the North,” shows a girl wearing a blue and yellow turban with a pearl earring on her earlobe glancing at her audience. Aside from being such a beautiful work, the painting’s mystery also adds to its allure.

The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali

The Persistence of Memory, painted in 1931 by the most famous surrealist painter in the world, is one of Salvador Dali’s famous works which can be found in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Dali describes his paintings as “hand-painted dream photographs,” which he made during his attempts to meditate into self-induced hallucinations. The painting’s landscape comes from Dali’s home region of Catalonia, Spain.

The Scream by Edvard Munch

Edvard Munich’s The Scream remains to be one of the most famous artworks in history. It projects the image of a genderless person standing beside a fence. The person, with both hands on the side of the face, is screaming in a setting that seems chaotic. The scene in the painting is inspired by an actual place in Ekeberg, Norway, on a pathway with a railing.

Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh

The Starry Night actually shows Van Gogh’s view from an asylum after he experienced a mental breakdown. The painting depicts a night sky full of swirling clouds and stars surrounded by their bright lights. On the ground, you will find some hills and a small town, and a dark structure to the left. The gives the viewers a flowing illusion, making the audience allured and involved with the work of art.

The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo

The Creation of Adam is one of the most famous artworks in the Sistine Chapel ceiling. It shows God on the right side, and Adam on the left. God is floating in a nebulous with some angels without wings behind Him, outstretching his arms to Adam. Adam, on the other hand, is lounging while reaching out to God. This work shows Michelangelo’s background in sculpting, evident in the way the figures were drawn.

The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci

Da Vinci’s work is a Renaissance masterpiece that depicts Christ and his Apostles having supper, with Christ at the center. The original painting was done directly on the walls of the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, and through the years a doorway was added to the wall, removing some parts of the painting.

Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci

The famous Mona Lisa is an oil painting on a poplar wood panel made by Italian Leonardo da Vinci while he was living in Florence. It can now be found in the Louvre in Paris. It is a half body portrait of Lisa Gherardini, whose portrait was commissioned by her husband. The facial expression in the portrait leaves a captivating feel for the audience, and it is the most studied artwork ever known.

Which one’s your favorite? Actually, there’s no need to pick just one – after all, every one of these paintings is the very definition of a masterpiece. Another great masterpiece source for girls dirty usernames, check it out!